First Impressions and Analyses: Sweden’s New Four-Category System

Sweden abolished its almost 13-year-old Fast Track Scheme on 15 December 2023 and implemented a new “Four Category” system on 29 January 2024.

Sweden's Fast Track Scheme was known for its quick processing times, with applications being reviewed and processed typically within five to 10 days. Legislative changes since have led to uncertainty in processing times (four months for initial permits and six months for extensions), indicating the need for improvements to or a replacement of the Fast Track system.

In 2022, the Swedish Migration Agency began to explore developing a new system to solve the problem of ever-growing backlogs. After initially discussing the problems internally and later working with external reference groups, the Migration Agency announced its decision to discontinue the certification process and replace it with a model based on the profession, education level, industry and customer segment of cases by the end of 2023.

There was much skepticism surrounding the Agency’s ability to meet this target goal. However, the Fast Track was ultimately abolished before the end of 2023, and the new portal was activated at the end of January 2024.

The New System

As promised, the Migration Agency worked diligently to clear its backlog over the last two months, and most applications have been approved in less than 30 days.

Despite some administrative errors with permit dates and titles, along with some technical difficulties with the overall system, this change has been quite a success thus far.

All applications are submitted via the same online channel in the new system. Afterwards, an initial screening is completed by the Migration Agency.

Depending on the relevant occupation and industry codes, the applications are then assigned to one of the following categories:

• Category A: The category is intended for work permit applications for highly qualified occupations and professions that require a higher education. This category applies to those roles listed on the Swedish Classification of Occupations (SSYK codes) that start with 1, 2 or 3, unless the company industry code (SNI) requires the application to be handled under Category D. The Migration Agency confirmed that Category A will have the highest priority and the processing time will be limited to 30 days, including the step for the passport check.
• Category B: This category covers work permit applicants for specific occupations with unique conditions. This includes seasonal workers, EU intra-corporate transferees, EU Blue Card holders, researchers, artists, athletes and trainees, among others. Processing times depend on the application type. Processing times for EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transferee and seasonal worker applications will remain the same at 90 days, while researcher applications should take up to 60 days.
• Category C: Professions that are not classified as ‘highly qualified,’ including roles that do not require a higher education, will be covered by this category. However, it is only applicable to positions in industries that do not require in-depth investigation. It will include roles that constitute a significant social benefit, regardless of not being ‘highly qualified.’ SSYK codes will also determine this category.
• Category D: Work permit applications relating to employment in industries that the Migration Agency defines as requiring additional investigation will be covered in this category. Industry codes (SNI) will be a determining factor for this category. Industries including cleaning, construction, personal assistants in the medical field, EOR companies and hospitality workers, among others, are handled under this category.

Initial Learnings

It is important to note that these changes are not based on legislation but rather on the administrative process for work permit applications in Sweden.

Some of the initial learnings following the implementation of the new system include:

• While Category A is linked to the employee having higher education amongst other requirements, the online application does not require a copy of the employee’s degree. Initially, it was suspected the portal might request a copy of the applicant’s degree to be uploaded with the submission, but the online portal has remained the same as before the Category implementation.
• The categorisation of the work permits occurs automatically once they are submitted but so far employees are not being notified of their respective category. It is unclear whether the employee will be notified of their determined category in the future.
• The authorities have confirmed on multiple occasions that the changes are focused on improving service for employers that are employing highly skilled labour. Category A will remain a priority.
• Companies that have not been established for at least 12 months will not be considered under Category A, and applications will go under Category D.
• Category D will not be prioritised, and the processing times may exceed the target 120 days.
• The Migration Agency will be in close contact with employers and will also start answering questions on specific scenarios for employers to make sure they are submitting complete and correct applications. They will also be more open to in-person meetings with employers.
• Renewal applications will have the same processing times as the initial applications according to the application category.
• The processing times for work changes will remain the same. Work change applications should not be submitted more than one month in advance of the intended start date of the new employment as the case officer cannot decide until the first day of the new employment has started. The processing time will depend on which category the industry and occupation codes fall under.

While it is still in the early days, the new system has already proven quite successful for Category A applications and, overall, there has been a decrease in processing times.

Fragomen professionals will continue to closely monitor the situation and will publish updates as they occur.

Need to know more?

For questions on this matter or to discuss your candidate’s eligibility for Category A, please reach out to [email protected].

This blog was published on 15 February 2024, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.